FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. – Tragedy struck the rafting community as two individuals lost their lives while participating in and preparing for Gauley season. The rafting season, which commenced on September 8th with scheduled dam releases at Summersville Lake, took a grim turn with the occurrence of these accidents.
The first accident, taking place on September 7, involved a private rafting party flipping near the Class V Iron Ring Rapid during a training day for raft guides. While two of the party were able to swim ashore, 62-year-old Norman LaHugh Cassell of Richmond, Virginia, was found unconscious in the water. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead shortly after. The exact cause of death is pending investigation by the WV Office of the Medical Examiner.
The second accident occurred on September 9, when NPS Rangers received a report that a commercial rafting customer had been swept under a rock. This incident led to a request for an emergency flow reduction of the Gauley River, but extreme high-water inflow from tributary streams made water levels too high for a recovery attempt.
The park is currently monitoring conditions to determine when it will be safe to attempt a recovery. The victim, 63-year-old Lee Lenora Doyle from Monterey, Virginia, tragically lost her life in the incident.
The agencies involved in the rescue and recovery efforts include Ansted, Oak Hill, and Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Departments, Jan Care Ambulance, WV Division of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fayette County Rope Rescue Team, and Beaver Volunteer Fire Dive Team.